Garden volunteers serve alongside the Horticulture Department, helping with gardening tasks such as weeding, planting, mixing soil, and general garden upkeep. Volunteers will serve with a team for a specific garden and are asked to commit to a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly schedule.
Volunteer At Kansas City's Botanical Garden
Volunteers are invaluable to fulfilling the mission of Powell Gardens. It takes thousands of service hours to maintain the Gardens and offer meaningful experiences for our public visitors.
Volunteers can commit to a weekly, monthly, or recurring schedule to help our staff continue Powell Gardens’ beautification and sustainability.
There are a variety of different areas in which volunteers are needed: administration, development, docents, events, and gardens.
Individuals and groups are welcome. Simply sign-up through the links below or contact volunteer@powellgardens.org for more information.
Volunteer Perks
Powell Gardens and its various offerings would not be possible if not for dedicated volunteers. To showcase our gratitude for those efforts, volunteers can receive the following perks and more:
- Appreciation cards
- T-shirts
- Garden membership
- Event passes
- Discount concessions
- Customized name tags
Types of Volunteers Needed
Docents play a vital role in the Education Department. Individuals who volunteer as Docents will help staff with education tasks such as school and summer programming, site visits, administration projects, and family event preparation. Docents must have morning availability as well as be able to sit and/or stand outdoors for at least 2 hours.
Projects and tasks associated with this program include:
- Leading field trips and curricular activities with education groups during the school year and summer.
- Completing administration projects.
- Finalizing preparations for family event weekends.
What to Expect:
- To volunteer a minimum of 15 hours per 2, 4-month quarters; March through June and July through October.
- To attend professional development days 1 hour per month, but not every month.
- To share ideas with and develop meaningful friendships with other docents.
- To be included in general volunteer appreciation programming as well as docent specific incentives.
We recognize that Docents go above and beyond to meet the needs of students and applaud the commitment to ongoing training. Incentives include:
- A Dry-Fit Polo Shirt indicating your role as a Docent
- A Docent Lapel Pin
- Free Visits and Tours of Powell Gardens
We encourage those with great communication skills, a collaborative work style, and, most importantly, a passion for nature and working with children to consider becoming a Docent at Powell Gardens. For more information, contact:
- Caitlin Eckard, Manager, Education (816.683.4838)
- Julie Jameson, Coordinator, Volunteer (913.638.0151)
An Administration volunteer has the opportunity to work with various departments at Powell Gardens. Tasks could include assistance with photography, tram driving, guest services, wedding events, membership, grants, community donations, and fundraising events. Volunteers will serve with a small group of staff or other helpers and are asked to commit to a weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly schedule.
Volunteers who wish to schedule a group or recurring outing can serve through a variety of projects: weeding, planting, nature trail upkeep, maintenance, and administration projects. Volunteers will receive a custom outing that has the option to be recurring upon request. This is perfect for corporate, religious, or school groups looking for volunteer opportunities!
To sign-up, fill out our application or contact volunteer@powellgardens.org for more information.
Did you know?
Many companies offer volunteer grant programs, also known as “Dollars for Doers”? Through these programs, companies provide monetary donations to eligible nonprofits such as Powell Gardens as a way to recognize employees or retired employees who volunteer.
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